腺 — “Gland” in Japanese

Master (高手)せん

Radical ⾁ · radical 130 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Gland” in Japanese is 腺, read sen (せん). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 扁桃腺 (tonsil).

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What does 腺 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	腺
Meaning	Gland
Readings	せん
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	扁桃腺 (tonsil)

How to read 腺

腺 is read sen (せん) depending on the word.

Words with 腺

扁桃腺

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Kanji read the same way as 腺

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28